Does anyone still handwrite anything?

as if anyone (including him) is ever going to read that ever again

can’t write more than 6 words without my hand starting to ache.

That’s brilliant. And thanks: I wish my writing was less irregular but I get impatient and rush it.

It’s nice! Bags of character.

Just for notes really - only write in caps these days as well! :thinking:

chris “budget” haha

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Most things I write I try to slip a ‘budget’ in

Not really any more. Apart from absence review meetings or disciplinaries, which can be a massive PITA (a serious misconduct hearing can last days), and written verbatim by hand, barely write anything by hand anymore.

Yes-on whiteboards/chalkboards when teaching.

Make sketchbook notes like this in exhibitions talks etc (tend to do them in pencil at the time and then ink them later)

Done some hand sign painting for extra cash before too.

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Yes. A lot. A4 notebooks that I do all note taking and so on with. I work in IT as a developer so it may seem even stranger but there you go. I do use the computer a bit, I have text files I use to stick test data and things in.

The Last time I designed a piece of software I used 15 pieces of A3 paper. Sketches, notes, screen designs, data flows etc.

If I have something complex to think about using a3 pages where i can draw and see loads of items and how they interact is useful. And I don’t use a computer for this as doing it by hand helps me to understand. It’s hard to explain.

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Had to write something properly for the first time in years the other day. Somene said my handwriting was ‘effeminate’. I think they meant neat.

How’s Jean’s shorthand?

I always used to use an A3 sketch pad when I was planning anything substantial. Like you said it is really useful for having to space to see how things interact, and to allow you to see a lot at once with clarity - you can get a lot on A3 and still give things plenty of room to breathe.

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Exactly. Also, I often have to pick up someone else’s code, then I have to wade through 1000s of lines, and dozens of classes. Distilling them into selected methods/screens/DB tables on the A3 with lines showing the interaction is invaluable.

So when I think ‘where does this logic happen?’ I can glance at the paper and then dive into the code.

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Yes I do, it’s often easier than printing out notes for questions/article ideas etc

If I want to stretch out an easy task in work, lest I finish my blessedly simple task early and be given something difficult to do, I’ll handwrite a note to somebody and carry it over to their desk as an alternative to sending an email. Also a fan of going to the coffee shop and sitting in to handwrite up my work, then come back in and type it all onto the system. I tell people “ahh, it’s a bit complex this one, just need to get away from the office distractions for an hour to get my head around it”, then come with all handwritten pages of A4 lined under my arm like an oldschool badass.

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